GO
by muchoblidged
Summary: Mamimi and Haruko return to Mabase, forcing Naota to tie up the loose ends that he has left alone for the past five years. Pairing/s/: NaotaxMamimi, NaotaxHaruko, HarukoxAtomsk
1. Vinyl

**GO**

I used to say that nothing amazing ever happens here. But now that I'm older, I realize that amazing stuff _does_ happen here. Like Mamimi and me sitting under the bridge by the river. It's funny - I always took Mamimi for granted, thinking that the stuff she did was weird and perverted but now I'd give anything for her to snuggle up to me, reeking of cigarettes. That was amazing. And Haruko -

No.

I can't think about Haruko. The stupid Rickenbacker is enough of a reminder. Amarao told me to call her Raharu. That's her real name, so he says.

But amazing stuff does happen here. Just, nothing amazing ever stays.

Mamimi left a couple years back. She was amazing. Eri Ninamori was sort of amazing. She asked me out and we kissed and stuff, but I was still a kid then. I broke up with her because I was still so hung up over Haruko - I mean, Raharu. Eri moved and just as she was driving away, I realized Haru - _Raharu_ would never come back and that Eri was cute and a good kisser. But then she was gone. And Canti left with my dad and my grandpa when they moved. The move was all of a sudden really. My dad started acting all weird - sorta jumpy and stuff. My grandpa never did anything anymore. He just agreed with whatever my dad said and read perverted magazines. I wasn't going to go with grown-ups who can't act their age. So I stayed here. Here in this boring old town. I hang out with Eri's old friends, but they're so immature and kind of stupid.

Medical Mechanica left after the whole Haruko thing. Oh right..._Raharu_...The destroyed factory kept puffing out smoke for the next week and then a huge gust of steam blew out and you couldn't see anything. Then, they were gone. That's when my dad said we had to move.

It's been five years since Ha - sorry, _Raharu_, left. It feels like centuries have passed. That sounds stupid, I know, but it's true. I know how to play the stupid Rickenbacker though. It's got a lefty handle and righty base so it was hard. My dad left a bunch of their music on vinyl and this crappy record player behind when he left. The stupid thing breaks all the time but now I know how to play a bunch of riffs from a bunch of old bands. I don't know what I'm going to do after high school. It's the end of my junior year and high school is the only thing that keeps my life in tact. Otherwise I'd lie around the house listening to old records and playing guitar. I probably wouldn't even eat. I'm sorta keeping the bread shop open. It barely gets any business anyways so it's easy to take care of.

Sunday night, I climb up the stairs to my bedroom and slip inside. I'm so tired I don't even have to play the Rickenbacker until I'm so exhausted I fall to sleep. I haven't been able to get a good night's sleep since my dad and grandfather moved out, but tonight I do. I drift off into comforting blackness and then jolt awake. I'm lying in bed, pinned down by something. Hot air warms my breath. Something smells like cigarettes, or rather, some_one_.

"Mamimi?" I murmur. In the darkness, I see a slice of white appear in the dark as she smiles.

"Hi Naota-kun." She whispers. The smell of tobacco chokes me, just like it use to.

"Are you going to go to sleep or something?" I say quietly. Mamimi doesn't move for a moment, then she crawls under the covers. I hear two light thuds as what I assume are her boots hit the floor. Something silvery flashes, catching the tiny bit of light that creeps in from behind the shade on my window. A camera clicks and my eyes burn with the brightness of the flash.

"Naota-kun..." She murmurs. Her arms wrap around me and I can feel her cool legs on mine. Gently, she nibbles my neck and I fall asleep.

Today is the first day of the last week of school. I hate Mondays. I get a sweet drink from the vending machines on the way back from school. Behind me there's a weird revving sound. I start to jump to the side, trying to dodge the oncoming vehicle. I get hit anyways. For a moment time freezes. I hover in the air and steal a glimpse of the driver. Who ever it is is wearing a motorcycle helmet. The hard edge of a guitar smashes into my skull. Shock waves rattle my brain. I slam into the ground and roll. Instinctively I clutch my head. Red blood soaks my hair and the sleeve of my uniform. The driver screeches to a stop, jerking their scooter so it skids sideways. The driver jumps off seconds before the vehicle begins to roll and tumbles across the bridge. I look up. It's a woman. She's wearing a tight leather jumpsuit with a red torso, black sleeves and legs, a big white scarf and white boots. The jumpsuit extends to her hands making fingerless 'gloves'. The woman pulls on a pair of yellow gloves and rips off her helmet with a flourish. "Itadakimasu." She grins.

"Raharu..." I whisper. And there she is. Yellow-green eyes and spiky pink hair. Just like she was five years ago. Her smile falters.

"Call me Haruko." She says, her voice softer. "I don't like 'Raharu...'" I clutch my bleeding scalp.

"So what's going to come outta me now?" I mutter. Haruko laughs.

"Nothing." She shows me the guitar. It's a red 1961 Gibson EB-0 - Atomsk's guitar. It doesn't have the pull motor like the Rickenbacker. "I just didn't know how else to say hello." I glare at her.

"Well why don't you figure out how to say goodbye?" I snap. "Just leave me alone..." I step over the vehicle (a Fuji Rabbit that's been poorly painted yellow) and walk home. "Mamimi!" I shout. "Mamimi I'm home!" I walk into the kitchen and find Haruko sitting there eating some curry. "Have you seen Mamimi?" I ask. Haruko scoops some curry into her mouth. It's disgusting - even its smell burns my nose and the color of it is a weird shade of red. Haruko smiles at me.

"I think she's in the bathroom." Haruko grins at me. "The door's busted, y'know? It won't close all the way." I glare at her.

"Don't be perverted. " I snap. I walk off to the bath and hear Mamimi singing faintly. I can't quite tell the words or the melody. "Mamimi?" I call. The water squeaks off.

"Naota-kun?" She calls. I blush, not knowing what to say.

"Do you have any towels?" I shout.

"Yeah..." Mamimi calls back. I lean against the wall next to the doors and wait for her to come out. Mamimi looks over at me. "Oh, hi Naota-kun!" She giggles. I look at the ground. "I'm going to change in your room." I stare at the trail of water she leaves behind. I stare at her feet. Suddenly, every thing's not amazing. Haruko's back and she's eating my curry and hitting me in the head and Mamimi's back and she's making me feel weird. I almost want them to be gone again. I find myself at the door to my room. My heart thuds in my chest and I open the door. Mamimi is standing with her back to me. Her bare skin shines in the yellow light of my ceiling lamp and she's wearing a pair of loose, faded jeans. She pulls a faded blue sweatshirt on and glances back at me. "Hi Naota-kun." She says softly. She lies down on my floor. "What is it Naota-kun?" She asks. Her lip sticks out in a tiny pout. "Come in." I sit down next to her and she sits up. "Naota-kun, what's wrong?"

"Where have you been?" I mumble. "It's been four years." Mamimi tosses her wet hair.

"America." She replies. I glance back at her, hiding my surprise.

"Really?" Mamimi nods. "Is Tasuka - my brother - is he a big star?" Mamimi hangs her head.

"Huge." She says softly. "Everyone likes him. He and his girlfriend and going to get married." I gape at her.

"Really?" I say. Mamimi shrugs.

"He has to, kind of. His girlfriend's pregnant." My heart falls to my stomach. I can't imagine my brother...

I cross my legs and don't look at her. "What took you so long in America?"

"I had boyfriend. His name was Tōru. He was a reporter and got me a job on a paper. We were partners, but then I didn't want to photograph news stories anymore. So I told him and he hit me. So I ran away." I twitch and almost hug Mamimi. I want her to be okay.

"Are you going to...you know...bubble over anymore?" Mamimi smiles and wraps her arms around me.

"I just might."

I wish we were under the bridge.

I walk home from school on Tuesday and Haruko's there on the Fuji Rabbit. "You did a crappy paint job on that." I mutter. "Why'd you even trade out your Vespa anyways?"

"It didn't go fast enough, so I stole Amarao's. His N.O. is awful but he's got a nice ride. And I like the color yellow." Haruko peered at me. "Is that really what you wanted to ask me?"

"Why are you here?"

"To find Atomsk." I stare hard at her. She smirks at me and climbs on her scooter. "Later." The scooter blazes off, a yellow blur. I don't feel like going home, so I go to the bridge. Mamimi is sitting on the bank wearing the same outfit she was yesterday. She swishes her legs back and forth in the water.

"Naota-kun..." She murmurs. I don't look at her. I just sit down. It was better when nothing was amazing. Now I can barely think. It's like my N.O. channel's opened and I have no brain. Mamimi puts her arms around me. "Mind if I smoke?" She whispers. I tense. Besides the one time on the bridge, I'd never seen her smoke. "Naota-kun?" She murmurs when I don't reply. I shrug her off.

"Whatever. I don't care." I mutter. I hear the scraping of metal on metal and glance over my shoulder. A cigarette glows in the shade of the bridge. The orange-red embers at the end illuminate Mamimi's face. It's emotionless like she's retreated inside herself. I tear myself away and walk. As long as I'm not going home I don't care where my feet take me. When I tune in to reality again I'm standing at the crumbling ruins of the old elementary school. The police tape looks out of place against the dark wreck of the school and the encroaching night. The tape sags on the stakes it was tied to from all the time people have moved it around to walk around the school. There's a tear which I walk through. The charred rubble crunches under my shoes.

I climb onto the wreckage and stand on the very top beam of the school. I hold my arms out and close my eyes. I imagine myself anywhere but here - anywhere but this boring old town. But I can't. When I try to imagine myself in the busy city of Tokyo - just outside Mabase - a place where there's always something to do or see all I see is white steam obscuring hulking shapes that look something like huge skyscrapers. There's a crack and the beam breaks. I try to stand but it hurts. So I sit in the black ash and debris and zone out. I think about how it was in Canti, half-conscious of what going on and I think about my first date with Eri - how she kissed me on the cheek but I didn't feel anything and I didn't know why. I think about watching my dad make bread and jokingly flirt with customers. Then I look up and see Haruko. She's looking away and at first I think she hasn't even seen me. But then she sticks out her hand. I grip it and pull myself up.

"Let's go home. The curry will get cold." Haruko says quietly. She starts to turn away but I still have a grip on her hand so I pull her towards me. A look of shock flashes on her face but it's swept away by her indifferent stare.

"Why are you here?" I ask. Haruko turns away.

"To find Atomsk." She says. Or something like that. Her voice is quiet and breaks halfway through her sentence. She walks to the Fuji Rabbit and turns back to me. "Well?" I turn away.

"No way. Your driving sucks." I walk through the burned foundation of the building trying to ignore the pain in my ankle and duck under the tape.

The sky is black when I get home. Mamimi's sitting on the front porch bent over something. She glances up and looks tired and hungry. Her glossy lips force a smile. She drops what she's working on and takes a couple steps towards me. "Naota-kun you missed dinner." She takes another two steps and raises her arms to hug me. I duck around her and look at what she dropped. A pack of cigarettes and a fine point marker lie discarded on the ground. Some of the cigarettes have writing on them.

"'Never Knows Best?'" I mutter, turning to look at her. Mamimi takes one from me and pulls a lighter out of her pocket. It clicks emptily and seems to echo around in the silent summer night. She tries a few more times, then drops it and walks away. I step on the cigarettes as I head inside. Haruko is sitting at the table wearing her old French maid outfit. I sit down across from her. My curry has already hardened into a glaze over the rice. I scoop some up and wince as I brace for a blast of spicy flavor. But there's nothing. Just plain curry. I look up at Haruko but she's already turning to leave. I take my time eating my cold curry. When I go to bed, Haruko's lying there, still dressed in her outfit.

"I know you're awake." I say. Haruko turns over and smiles.

"You're sharp kid." I glare at her. Haruko sits up. "What?"

"Why are you here?" I demand. Haruko smirks.

"This again? I told you"-

"If you're going to lie to me again I'll just leave." I say shortly. Haruko smiles softly at me.

"Then I won't say anything." I sit down on the bed.

"You can't sleep here. Mamimi does." Haruko grins at me and raises an eyebrow. I glare at her but can't control the blush rising on my face.

"I have a feeling she's not coming." Haruko says. She leans towards me, her expression is soft. Slowly she lifts the covers. "Come on." I glare at her for a bit, then take a couple steps towards the bed. Haruko climbs out. She's still wearing her jumpsuit. "Come on." She says, her voice quiet. She's standing really close to me. I can feel her breath. It smells like spicy curry. She takes another step and our noses touch. I turn away.

"I'll sleep on the couch." I can feel Haruko's eyes on my back. I can't ignore them. I'm tense as I stiffly walk out of the room.

Mamimi's curled up next to me when I wake up.


	2. Funny Questions

**Go**II

Third to last day of school. No one can pay attention. Classes are short. Kids whisper and pass notes. The teachers even look bored. Kids stampede out of the classroom to unpack their lockers. There's nothing in my locker but books so I sit in the class while the kids shriek and jump around outside. My teacher sits down on the desk in front of me. "Hey Tak-kun..." She murmurs. I jerk my head up.

"What?" I whisper. Her smile widens and spreads from ear to ear.

"Hey _Tak-kuuun_..." She hisses. Her eyes glow red. She raises a red Gibson EB-O and smashes the desk. It splits in two. The shrieks of the kids in the hallway sound miles away. "_You're the one I saw first Ta-kuuuun...Never is enough...Then you just hit hit hit kaking_!" Her heads tilts to the side and her lips part showing pointy teeth. "_Bingo..._"

I jolt awake. I'm alone in the room. I grit my teeth and clench my fists.

It's over. I'm not going to allow this anymore. I want answers.

Now.

I run home, dodging cars in the street. Only Mamimi's there, lying in the same position as morning. She's holding a cigarette in one hand and a marker in another though. I run upstairs and yank open a drawer. I nod. Everything's there. There's nothing to do but wait. So I pull out the Rickenbacker and play. I start to hum the vocal part to the song I'm playing - Ride on Shooting Star, I think. When I'm finished I noticed Mamimi's arms around me again. "Rock Star." She whispers, nuzzling me. I sit still and let her relax against me.

"Mamimi?" I whisper. "Mamimi?" I shrug my shoulder which her head is rested on. She jumps a little. "Did you fall asleep?" I murmur. Mamimi nuzzles me again.

"Did I? I'm always so tired, Tak-kun..." She relaxes against me again and I shrug my shoulders again.

"Don't call me that. My name's Naota." Mamimi hugs me close to her.

"Sorry."

I stand up.

"I have to go." I say quietly.

"Naota-kun." Mamimi grabs the bottom of my shirt. "You're taking your guitar?" I clutch the Rickenbacker tightly.

"Yeah." I grab my backpack and leave. It's a pain to walk, considering where I'm going but I deal with it. The sun seems to follow me, just behind me as I walk. I hike the hill and when I finally reached the top, Haruko's there, her pink hair blowing softly in the wind. The Rabbit is next to her, silhouetted by the setting sun. The grass has already grown over where the Metal Mechanica factory used to be. "Raharu." I call. Haruko turns.

"Don't call me that." Haruko says. "I hate that name."

"Why? What is that name?" I ask. Haruko smiles at me. Her eyes are pained.

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?" I demand, taking a step towards her.

"I"-

"Tell me!" I shout. Haruko jumps a little. "Tell me why you left all your clothes here - like you were going to pick them up or something." I dump out the contents of my backpack on the ground in front of her. "Tell me who you are and what you do and where you went. Tell me everything!" Haruko shakes her head.

"I can't." She says. Her voice cracks. I grip the Rickenbacker. I'll have to do it. I didn't want to, but have to but I do. I take another step towards her then take a running start, jump and swing the Rickenbacker. The Gibson Flying V blocks it seconds before it hits Haruko.

"Naota what are you doing?" Haruko yells.

"Looking for answers!" I shout back. I heave the Rickenbacker and swing it again.

_Hit!_

I push her down the hill with my attacks.

_Hit!_

"Naota! Stop!" Haruko shouts.

"Why?" I bellow, swinging again. The Flying V breaks.

_Hit! _

Haruko's eyes widen in shock and horror. Time freezes again. Our eyes meet and Haruko's eyes do something that might've been pleading but I couldn't tell in the moment I could see them. When time resumes, I don't stop to think.

I swing.

_Kaking!_

Haruko slams into ground.

_Bingo._

She props herself up, groaning. I pull the motor and the guitar starts to vibrate in my hands. My entire body hums with power.

"Tell me." I say. My voice is low and shocks even myself. Haruko stares at me and sighs.

"Fine." She stands up and looks me in the eyes. "I'm Haruha Raharu, an ex-Galaxy Space Police Brotherhood member. My planet was ravaged by Metal Mechanica. When the Galaxy Space Police Brotherhood showed up, they took me with them. Atomsk was my prisoner and I fell in love with him. He told me that if I let him go he would help me get revenge against Metal Mechanica. I let him go but he just escaped and didn't keep his promise. I was kicked out of the Galaxy Space Police Brotherhood. When they learned that I had gone through their records searching for clues about Metal Mechanica, they wanted me back for questioning to see what I knew but I was already gone in search of Atomsk. They probably want their sub-light Vespa and N.O. Channel Rickenbacker back too. I left to search for Atomsk but then I came back. I call myself Haruhara Haruko now - the name of my superior. She was sort of like a mother to me." Haruko tilts her head back slightly and grins. "You know the feeling I'm sure."

My face feels hot.

"Why did you come back?" I ask.

"Because Tak-kun..." Haruko looks at me. "I need to find Atomsk." I can tell she's lying. Everything about her shows it, even though her voice is steady and her body is calm and she's looking me right in the eye. I can tell. Haruko hikes up the hill and I hear the Rabbit rumble as it drives away. Night has fallen. I sit down at the base of the hill and lean back. The stars twinkle softly here - it's the actually the darkest spot in Mabase. I close my eyes and drift off.

"Is he dead?"

"I dunno - poke him!"

Something jabs my shoulder. I open my eyes slowly. Masashi and Gaku stand in front of me. "Hey." Masashi grunts.

"Are you dead?" Gaku shouts. I climb up and glare at them.

"No." I mutter.

"What's with the guitar?" Masashi asks. I glance at the Rickenbacker.

"Oh yeah...Just...practicing..." My heart stops for a second as I wonder what happened to Haruko. I wonder if her N.O. channel has been opened.

"You're late for school." Masashi says. "The teacher told us to go find you."

"Your wife told us that you'd be here." Gaku looks around. "Where's the Vespa woman? I heard she was back."

"Mamimi's not my wife. She's my brother's ex-girlfriend. And it's not 'the Vespa woman.' She has a name. Ha"- I cut myself off. "Raharu." Gaku nods and looks up.

"Whoa! What happened there?" He shouts. I glance up and see the gashes in the earth from Haruko and my battle. Gaku starts to climb the hill. Masashi looks at me.

"Hey Naota-kun, what's up with you?" I give Masashi a bored look.

"Nothing." I say.

"Naota-kun!" Gaku shouts, sliding down the hill. I look up at him. "Aren't you going to school?" I think back to Mamimi who sat under a bridge and waited for me instead of going to school.

"No." I say and I walk away.

"Naota-kun!" Mamimi shouts as soon as I come home. "Haruko-san she"-

"I don't want to know." I say. I walk upstairs. Haruko's there.

"Naota-kun." She says. She has a bandage wrapped around her head.

"Did I...open it?" I ask. Haruko shakes her head.

"No. You have to start the motor." Haruko says.

"So what do I call you now?" I ask, shouldering the guitar. Haruko grins.

"Mother." She laughs. I turn away. "Haruko. Call me Haruko." She calls after me. Her voice sounds rushed and worried.

At night I hear noises in my father's old bedroom. I take the Rickenbacker with me and creep over. I shove the door open and see Haruko sitting in my father's bed, curled up in his sheets. I don't think they've been touched since my father left. "Haruko?" I murmur. She looks up at me, her yellow-green eyes bloodshot. "You really did like my dad?" I mutter. Haruko smiles at me.

"No."

I stare at her hard. "Why are you here? You haven't been doing anything related to looking for Atomsk. You haven't even opened an N.O. portal or anything. Besides my cat's not here to talk to." Haruko looks at the sheets. "Why are you here?" I ask. Haruko stands up, still wearing the jumpsuit.

"Come on." She says, brushing past me. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Then I turn and follow her.


	3. Something Like Closure

**Go**III

We ride through Mabase on the Fuji Rabbit. I'm too big to sit in front of her like before so I sit behind her, my arms around her waist. There's no one on the streets to see us skidding around corners and roaring down the straightaways. Haruko takes us up to a hilly part of the edge of Mabase and looks out at the water. The sun's starting to come up. I get off the scooter and stare at Haruko. The wind makes her hair fly up and her scarf flail.

"Why are you here Raharu?" I say. Haruko leans on the handle bars and stares out at the gold water.

"Because I love you." She says.

Time shatters.

Mabase is gone. It's just me and Haruko, floating in a world that's all steam. Haruko gets off the scooter and turns to me. She looks like she's about to cry. I drop the Rickenbacker and it disappears into the steam. "Haruko." I whisper. Haruko hugs me and buries her face in my head. She's still a whole head taller than me. I break away from the hug and stare at Haruko. She looks at me. She looks so pathetic and young. I stand on the balls of my feet and kiss her. She doesn't taste like spicy curry. She tastes like the sweet drinks I buy from the vending machine. Something salty dribbles into my mouth and when I open my eyes I see Haruko is crying. I hug her and slowly the world of steam is blown away. We're back on the outskirts of Mabase. The sun's warming everything. Haruko pulls away and sits on the Rabbit.

"Naota..." She chokes out. It's weird to see Haruko like this. Weak and fragile. I don't what to do.

So I walk away.

The sound of Haruko crying fades into the distance. I'm at my house quicker than I expected. Mamimi is slumped over on the doorstep. "Mamimi?" I call. She looks up at me.

"Naota-kun." I walk past her. "Naota-kun are you going to school today?" I stop and nod, not turning around. "Oh..."

I walk home from school. When I'm about half-way across the bridge, Haruko jumps in front of me. "Naota-kun!" She shouts, playing the lowest note on the Gibson. She's wearing her bunny outfit.

I brush past her and feel her eyes on me as I leave. "Naota-kun?" Haruko says. I don't look at her. "Naota-kun!" I glanced over my shoulder at her. "What you think about...what I said?" Haruko asks. I rack my brain for an answer all the while giving Haruko a bored stare. Finally, I come up with one.

"Nothing." I say. "I don't think anything about that fact that you love me. Haruko, I don't care about you. That kiss - I didn't feel anything. I know you'll just leave again. And why should I care about someone who already loves some else? You love Atomsk, right?" Haruko clenches a fist.

"Well you love Mamimi." I grit my teeth and freeze up. "You really care about her. But she still loves your brother." I over to Haruko.

"Just go Raharu. Go find Atomsk. He's not here - not anymore and you know it." I turn away and walk across the bridge.

In the afternoon, Haruko leaves. She's got all her stuff except for the Gibson EB-O. "It's yours anyways." She says. She starts up the Rabbit and hovers there. "Y'know Naota? You're not a kid anymore. Wanna come?" We stare at each other. I imagine our life: Flying through space and running from the Galaxy Space Police Brotherhood, searching for Atomsk and fighting Metal Mechanica whenever we come across them. Eating spicy curry and playing guitar. Maybe Haruko and I would start to like each other even more. And after Haruko settled her score with Metal Mechanica we could run from the GSPB and eat curry. Lots and lots of curry.

"Never mind." Haruko sighs. "You're still a kid."

"Haruko." I shout. She looks at me. "I'm not a kid anymore. I want to tell you I do care about you. But I can't go." Haruko nods.

"Sure." She revs the Rabbit. "Thank you Naota-kun. Good-bye." She flies off. Mamimi comes out of the house.

"Naota-kun?" She says. She looks up. "She's gone." She murmurs. It's more of a question. I nod.

"For good." I say. Mamimi lifts up her camera and snaps a shot. She puts the camera in her pocket and pulls out a cigarette and a lighter.

"Those things will kill you y'know." I say. Mamimi drops the cigarette. It rolls on the pavement, flickering. She grinds it out with the toe of her shoe and goes to walk inside. I grab her arm and pull her towards me.

"Naota-kun!" She says, surprised. I lean in close her.

"I'm going to bubble over." I whisper.

And she kisses me.


End file.
